school in opposition; but I am happy to say the Lord has wonderfully baffled the priests in this, as well as every other effort of theirs to oppose the truth spreading amongst the people; for before two days this priest's schoolmaster was brought under the sound of the Gospel, and, like the former teacher, he was by the power of God's truth led to renounce Romanism, and like a man willing to give up all for Christ he resigned his school to the priests, and forfeited the time he was teaching, and refused the price of a suit of clothes the priest sent him, together with other inducements, if he would remain a Roman Catholic and continue teaching the National School. The same day the priest made him these offers he received a letter from the Board with 67. in it, to make the school-house comfortable for him; and he returned that to the priest also, and wrote him a letter giving his reasons for leaving the Church of Rome and becoming a Protestant, and he is now living in one house with me, and rejoicing in the liberty of the Gospel, and anxiously attending every means of grace, both public and private.

66

I was told by several Roman Catholics this last month that they will soon go to church, for they are convinced that the Bible condemns the teaching of their priests; and those last few days, since this National schoolmaster manifested such courage, some of those inquiring Roman Catholics have expressed their mind more freely, and commended him highly for obeying God rather than man, as his conscience told him. We have not only those children coming to school again that the priest took away, but other Roman Catholic children also, whose parents up to this had not courage enough to send them, though inclined to do so, from a conviction that their priests are teaching them doctrines which the Roman Catholic Bible condemns. In fact, from the great spirit of inquiry that is showing itself every day more and more amongst the people, we may expect, with the Lord's blessing, not only the conversion of individuals, but a great reformation. The best proof I could give to one inclined to doubt all this, is for him to come with me for a few days through the district, and hear the cheering admissions made by Roman Catholics, together with the new life he will find amongst the converts, and their zeal to grow in grace, and in the saving knowledge of our blessed Lord and Saviour, and their desire to make it known to their Roman Catholic relatives and neighbours; and for a further proof I would only ask him to see our increased school and thronged church every Sunday, and I am happy to say the Lord is adding to our congregation daily, so that if our place of worship is not soon enlarged, it will not contain them. To God alone be all the glory.'"

THE

BANNER OF THE TRUTH IN IRELAND,

SEPTEMBER 1, 1859.

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The Revival Movement.

THE remarkable religious movement in the North of Ireland, referred to in previous numbers of "The Banner," still continues with unabated interest, and appears to stand the important test of time. Like a mighty wave the religious awakening spreads from parish to parish and from town to town, bringing peace and blessing wherever its influence is felt. As many anticipated, the physical features of the 'movement are becoming less and less important, while the spiritual and moral work has been deepening and abiding. It is stated on the best authority, that in the places where the movement has advanced, comparatively few persons are now "stricken" with the bodily symptoms, nor do the converts themselves regard these as of any real importance. It appears to be a remarkable, and in some cases mysterious affection, the result of deep conviction and great mental agony, but neither a necessary accompaniment nor a true test of spiritual change. That this bodily phenomenon has been overruled for good, is undeniable. Attention has been thereby called to the Revival which has brought multitudes within its influence, and while there have been cases of bodily affection without conviction from the force of mere sympathy, there have been a vast number of others in which, from witnessing the deep distress of these convinced sinners, persors have been led to think of their own case, and to begin to ask for themselves the solemn question, "What must I do to be saved?" Throughout the districts visited by this Revival the openings for the proclamation of the Gospel have

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been unlimited; fear seems to have come on almost every soul, and where the truth has been preached, a most marked blessing has accompanied it. The good seed has fallen into hearts manifestly prepared for its reception, and has brought forth fruit an hundredfold.

It is interesting to know that the cases of conversion of Roman Catholics have been amongst the most decided in connexion with the movement, and it bears in an important manner on our Mission work, since it appears that in all cases the Roman Catholics had some previous knowledge of the Scriptures. This has come back to their minds when their hearts have been touched by the power of the Holy Spirit, and the fruit of all the instruction has then begun to appear, a great encouragement to those who are actively engaged in diffusing scriptural truth among the Romanists, and a call to the continued prosecution of the work in which the Irish Church Missions has been so long engaged.

The influence of the Northern Revival on other parts of Ireland is very striking, and is nowhere seen more plainly than in the Dublin Mission. A solemn tone of expectation pervades all the agents of the Society. Special meetings for prayer are held at frequent intervals, and are very largely attended. Many Roman Catholics are known to be present on these occasions, and seem to be greatly impressed by the solemnity and earnestness of the petitions on their behalf. One feature of these prayer-meetings is the number of requests sent in by persons for prayer for themselves or their friends. Thus, for instance, prayer has been asked for more than one anxious to feel a deeper conviction of sin, and to be brought to true repentance. In one case a convert requested prayer for the conversion of a husband, still a Roman Catholic; in another, a pervert to Rome asked for prayer, being at the time in great anxiety of mind; in another, prayer was asked for a young man under Jesuit influence, who was likely to be inveigled into a monastery; in another, a member of the Mission congregation asked the meeting to thank God for her conversion. These are themselves tokens of a Revival in the work, and are, we trust, the first droppings of the large shower of blessing with which the Lord is about to visit our Mission field, and for which we earnestly ask the prayers of all our friends.

It may not be out of place to add here the testimony of a clergyman from England, the Rev. George Robinson, who having recently assisted in the work of the Dublin Mission, thus gives his impressions in a letter to the Rev. A. Dallas :

“MY DEAR MR. Dallas,

"June 20, 1859.

"Mr. MacCarthy has asked me to write you a few lines, to give you my impression of the present state of the Dublin Mission; and I do so with great pleasure, as it is my conviction, from all I have seen, that you are soon to have a blessed reaping time after ten years of hard labour. I have found amongst all the agents of this Society with whom I have conversed an unusual spirit of prayer, and an intense longing and looking for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Roman Catholics of Dublin. They have been of late specially led to expect a large blessing upon their labours, from the wonderful tidings that have reached them of what the Lord has done in America, and is doing in the North of Ireland.

"On Monday last a meeting for prayer was held in the Mission-house, which was attended by great numbers; and when I reached Dublin from England it rejoiced my heart to hear that I was appointed to preside in the new school-house in the Coombe at a meeting on the following evening for prayer for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit,-the prayer-meeting was for that evening to take the place of the controversial class. When the hour appointed for prayer drew near the large room began to fill up, Protestants and Roman Catholics crowded in, till 640 (200 of whom were known to be Roman Catholics) had assembled to pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Protestants. and Roman Catholics of Dublin. It was a deeply interesting meeting; and as they sang together, and prayed, and listened to an account given by an eye-witness of what wonders the Lord was working by His Spirit in the North, all were solemnized. God's presence was realized by many, and the feeling was general that blessed results were sure to follow. Your superintending Missionary, Mr. MacCarthy, whose whole soul is in this work, has arranged for another prayer-meeting to be held in Kingstown, and to it many are looking forward with great pleasure. He has it also in contemplation to have a weekly prayer meeting, instead of one or other of the many controversial classes which are being held almost every evening in Dublin.

'Thus, then, I think I have abundant reason, from the wonderful amount of prayerfulness connected with this Mission,

to conclude that you are on the eve of a great blessing, and that after ten years of hard labour, in which the ground that had lain fallow for hundreds of years has been broken up, and an almost incredible amount of precious seed has been sown, you are now nearing the reaping time, when you shall see to your heart's joy an abundant harvest.

"That God may, by the outpouring of His Holy Spirit, 'send down prosperity,' is the fervent prayer of

"Yours very affectionately,

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GEORGE ROBINSON."

A Request.

MANY friends of the Irish Church Missions are praying earnestly for a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the schools of the Society at the present time. The Revival movement, both in Ireland and elsewhere, has had peculiar influence on the young. A vast amount of scriptural knowledge has been imparted in the Mission-schools, and many tokens of God's blessing have been vouchsafed. We may therefore expect, in answer to believing prayer, to see even greater things than these. We would ask our Christian friends to pray much at this time for a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the schools, dormitories, and nurseries connected with our Missions, that there may be real conversion amongst the young persons instructed in those institutions.

A Prayer for the Roman Catholics.

(CIRCULATED ON THE DUBLIN HANDBILLS.)

"And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us: and if we know that He hear us whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him." 1 John, v. 14, 15.

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O LORD our Heavenly Father, who in Thy gracious providence hast visited our Roman Catholic brethren, in many parts of Ireland, with the light of Thy truth, we offer up our heartfelt prayers to Thee, through the Son of Thy